BBC Poll: More Countries in Favor of Palestinian State

BBC poll finds that 49% of people in 19 countries back the Palestinian Authority's unilateral statehood proposal at the UN.

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Elad Benari, 19/09/11 08:40

Map of Palestine according to Fatah-ruled PA

Israel news photo: PMW

As the Palestinian Authority prepares to submit its statehood bid to the United Nations later this week, a poll conducted by The BBC suggests more people support a UN recognition of Palestine as an independent state than oppose it.

According to the poll, the results of which were published on Sunday, across the 19 countries surveyed, 49% backed the proposal while 21% said their government should oppose it.

The poll found that there was majority support in four predominantly Muslim countries, with Chinese people also strongly endorsing the proposal. It also found that even in countries where opposition was strongest, more people polled supported the resolution than were against it.

For example, the United States and the Philippines both polled 36% against the resolution, but 45% of Americans and 56% of Filipinos backed recognition of Palestine. The lowest level of support was in India, where 32% were in favor and 25% opposed, with many undecided.

The poll found that among Muslim countries, the support was strongest in Egypt, where 90% were in favor and only 9% opposed. Turkey recorded 60% support and 19% opposition; Pakistan recorded 52% for and 12% against; and Indonesia was 51% for and 16% against.

The poll also looked at the opinion on the Palestinian state in the three large European Union member states and found that in France there was 54% support and 20% opposition, in Germany 53% supported and 28% were against, and the UK recorded 53% support and 26% opposition.

The poll included a total of 20,466 people in 19 countries, who were interviewed either face-to-face or by telephone between July 3 and August 29.